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Is there a "hidden jem" place to live left in America?

SanDiegoCJ said:
I spent a year outside Memphis, Tn and in the summer it's like living in a steam bath. In less than a minute after you step out of the shower you're sweaty again. They didn't have snow when I was there, just a nasty ice storm that left 2" of ice on everything. Also, be prepared for a mega-shit-ton of very large bugs.
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Truth! I just spent 3 days dry camping near Chattanooga for my first time ever to Tennessee. I’m from what’s called a hi desert with a 20~22% average humidity. I was miserable in TN the whole time, 90 degrees, 90+% humidity. Sweating does no good, it doesn’t cool off at night. And the bugs :eek:. The place was beautiful, I have to assume the rest of the year is more comfortable and not far in the opposite direction as in cold?

edit: before I went on that trip, I had been complaining about the heat at home. Since I’ve been home we’ve been having temps as high as 104 and it feels amazing. I haven’t felt overwhelmed by heat once since returning from that sauna.
 
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What about the reno or south of reno area as close to the ca border as you can get tucked into the mountains. It checks all of your boxes and is basically as close to everything ca offers as you are now.
 
SanDiegoCJ said:
I spent a year outside Memphis, Tn and in the summer it's like living in a steam bath. In less than a minute after you step out of the shower you're sweaty again. They didn't have snow when I was there, just a nasty ice storm that left 2" of ice on everything. Also, be prepared for a mega-shit-ton of very large bugs.
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I've got a lot of family in West TN. and have spent quite a bit of time visiting there - all of this is 100% accurate. :laughing:
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I love when people think they're more intelligent because they wasted more time memorizing how to spell words. I know some stupid people who are pretty good at spelling. But good for you, you got me. :rolleyes:​​​​​​




Anyway, how's that humidity? :flipoff2:




The other area would be say Michigan? Everyone here thinks it's snow and ice 11 months of the year, but maybe it's not that bad. I'm fine with colder winters, but not really looking for 9 months of winter.
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MI is OK, but getting filed up fast:flipoff2:

4 months of winter, 1 month on each end of chilly, the rest is generally nice weather..
Unless you count the last 2 years where it's been 95+every day for 3 or 4 weeks with 90% humidity and no rain:rolleyes:But other than that, at this minute it's 75°with a few clouds and sun. Yesterday was 90° and sunny all day... great for doing my yard work:laughing:

Also, if you know the right people, there are trails everywhere of every difficulty. Just not everyone knows where to go, and it's generally hush hush... the u.p. is epic and no one goes there the l.p. is where it becomes more sparse, but there are plenty of great spots.
 
2big bronco said:
What about the reno or south of reno area as close to the ca border as you can get tucked into the mountains. It checks all of your boxes and is basically as close to everything ca offers as you are now.
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We have friends in minden(Gardnerville) and although, I don't really want to live in the desert, they have a lot of cool shit going on over there. The prices have shot up recently quite a bit. Maybe still cheap compared to the bay area, but not here :flipoff2: one bonus is that I could stay in local 3, but I guess the wages are like half? I am often working with guys from reno, which doesn't seem like a good sign. Then again a lot of operators are pretty dumb.
 
Utah for sure is everything you’ve described of Idaho. Price on homes have went total California. You have to have two incomes to pay the mortgage payment. This place used to check all of your want boxes but sadly those days are gone.:frown: Pay hasn’t kept up with inflated property prices. Every place you go is overrun with people. If we didn’t have all of our family here I would be bolting for somewhere else too.
 
rockdog57 said:
Utah for sure is everything you’ve described of Idaho. Price on homes have went total California. You have to have two incomes to pay the mortgage payment. This place used to check all of your want boxes but sadly those days are gone.:frown: Pay hasn’t kept up with inflated property prices. Every place you go is overrun with people. If we didn’t have all of our family here I would be bolting for somewhere else too.
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We went through cedar city in 2011 for our honeymoon. After a full day driving through NV, cedar city wasn't a huge change in scenery, but man as soon as we popped into those mountains, it was amazing. Most beautiful place I've been.
 
2big bronco said:
What about the reno or south of reno area as close to the ca border as you can get tucked into the mountains. It checks all of your boxes and is basically as close to everything ca offers as you are now.
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Reno is going down hill fast, housing is stupid but not as bad a Cali. Homeless everywhere, non stop raising of taxes, low wages, traffic. I moved here in 2013 and loved it. Today I can not say I would make the same decision. At least we have great weather. I moved from Champaign, Illinois. The Weather sucked there as it was hot and humid in the summer and bitter cold and cloudy most of the winter. About 4 weeks out of the year you could get by without having the heat/AC on. Add about $200-300 a month on your power bill. Water and sewer bills tend to be really high as well depending on where you land. I was kinda shocked at how cheap water and power was in Reno. Lots of hidden taxes out there in some of the "low tax" tax states in the South. Check out DMV, count, and local taxes on top of the property and income tax. They usually balance out. Any states have personal proper taxes as well.

I went back for a 50th birthday party for my best friend in Louisville last 4th of July and could not stand the humidity, I could feel it as soon as they opened up the plane door. It was miserable.
 
Just spent a week in those mountains east of Cedar. Yes, it's nice...but having lived in Utah and a member of local 3, wages suck. When I left my foreman wage was $24/hr I think. It was 7 years ago I believe. Winters you either go out of state to work or live on savings/unemployment. At least that's my experience. Sometimes I would work there through winter if the project allowed.

Anyway, Utah is nice and you'd fit in but prices are way up and wages stagnant in our industry.

BTW, at least half the plates in that state were Ca plates, so hurry up and join the rest of em.
 
Wheeling back East is going to be basically in parks as there is no BLM land, it has got its pros and cons. You tend to make trail friends and see them often and you can wheel light if you have a tow rig to keep spare parts and big tools. If something breaks you are relatively close to the parking lot. Its not nearly as scenic though. South East Tennessee would be a relative cheap place to live and be near Windrock or Harlen, KY for some of the best wheeling places in the South that are not going to full of stock JL owners taking their jeep out for the first time.
 
So far, from the places I've been, I could probably handle living in Wyoming or South Dakota, but the wife would never handle the cold winters and the snow. The hunting and wheeling, though...man, slice of heaven.

Staying closer to family, I would move to southern WV in a heartbeat. If you move there with a good lump sum in your bank account, you'll be set forever. Nice homes cost about $35,000 with land in the mountains. The weather is really pleasant in the summer and doesn't suffer from the humidity that TN, KY, and the Carolinas get. There's also ample business opportunities down there if you can work on machines and weld. None of the locals want to work, and most of the out of staters open up restaurants and stuff for the trails. Mechanics are far and few between down there. Work week is only Thursday night to Saturday night. Time off is Sunday to Thursday afternoon to explore, do whatever you want. Downside is being in those mountains, groceries and conveniences being an hour or more away.

This might all change as I explore more western states. :smokin: As of right now, I keep bugging the wife to move to southern WV when the kids graduate high school. Their school systems are dismal there.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I always hear about how bad the humidity is. I'm not a fan of the heat, but I have dealt with working in ~110* many times. Yet people say 110* dry ain't got shit on 90* in the south. Is it as bad as everyone says? :laughing:
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It's worse. I moved from San Diego to Kansas city area. Humidity sucks.
 
thedirtman said:
Wheeling back East is going to be basically in parks as there is no BLM land, it has got its pros and cons. You tend to make trail friends and see them often and you can wheel light if you have a tow rig to keep spare parts and big tools. If something breaks you are relatively close to the parking lot. Its not nearly as scenic though. South East Tennessee would be a relative cheap place to live and be near Windrock or Harlen, KY for some of the best wheeling places in the South that are not going to full of stock JL owners taking their jeep out for the first time.
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Yes, the east is mainly all private property, and depending on the state, no vehicles allowed off the road in state or national forests.

Windrock looks pretty gnarly and fun. I've never been there, but watch plenty of videos. Did not know Harlan had wheeling, but I would like to go there just for the history and culture.
 
Captain Call said:
Just spent a week in those mountains east of Cedar. Yes, it's nice...but having lived in Utah and a member of local 3, wages suck. When I left my foreman wage was $24/hr I think. It was 7 years ago I believe. Winters you either go out of state to work or live on savings/unemployment. At least that's my experience. Sometimes I would work there through winter if the project allowed.

Anyway, Utah is nice and you'd fit in but prices are way up and wages stagnant in our industry.en
Er
BTW, at least half the plates in that state were Ca plates, so hurry up and join the rest of em.
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Bam!! You hit the nail squarely on the head. Wages in Utah have always been lower than other states. My bil is a union electrician. He is working on the new face place complex. They can’t get travelers to come in because wages are too low. They had to up the anti to get enough out of state guys to come in. Cedar city is a pretty isolated town. You’re not gonna make good money there.
 
FleshEater said:
Yes, the east is mainly all private property, and depending on the state, no vehicles allowed off the road in state or national forests.

Windrock looks pretty gnarly and fun. I've never been there, but watch plenty of videos. Did not know Harlan had wheeling, but I would like to go there just for the history and culture.
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harlan is maybe the best wheeling in the east.
 
I'm currently at my "ideal" location except for the fact it is in Calif:mad3: I'm outside Georgetown with plenty of land(6 acres), the terrain being rugged enough that neighbors are fairly spread out, get two to three 18" snow storms a year with accumulation of 3', and right next door to good wheeling(Rubicon) Some would argue the commute but I'll take the 1 hour to Folsom on backroads over sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.

I've debated moving out and the two spots that somewhat match my current setup are southern ID and around Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs is somewhat off the table because of Calif mini-me😒 If it wasn't similar politics, I'd head out that way.

You couldn't give me a house in eastern Texas or other gulf locations. The humidity was insane... like take a shower and need another within 10 minutes. No problem with the hurricanes. Fawk the fire ants too.
 
I cannot recommend TN enough.

An amazing state to live in.

The rural areas are pennies cheap and there is good money to be made in the cities.

My house cost me $125 a year in property tax, no water, no sewer charges.

You can make an unlimited amount of money in the City which I am just 30 mins away from.

I have land, i am on a large creek, I have no neighbors, I paid 5 figures for my house.

Freedom is everything here and taxes are low.
 
VT, NH, and ME fit your bill except for the fact it's so far east.

Northern New England is a beautiful place. A lot of young people are leaving VT, however due to lack of wages and cost of living. Sad to say, but most of the "beautiful" places have low wages and rely on the tourist dollar.
 
TiTRD said:
VT, NH, and ME fit your bill except for the fact it's so far east.

Northern New England is a beautiful place. A lot of young people are leaving VT, however due to lack of wages and cost of living. Sad to say, but most of the "beautiful" places have low wages and rely on the tourist dollar.
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Northern Wisconsin is like that, low wages and tourist dependent. It was that way when I was growing up in the 1950's & 1960's and still hasn't changed. Absolutely beautiful country though.
 
In the south, the humidity works both ways

Wifes friend/boss and her family flew in for a visit last February. They're from Colorado Springs area, never been east of the rockies. It was 40's when they stepped off the plane and they were freezing.

"We checked the temps for the week and thought 40 degrees meant sun and 9% humidity. We've got to go buy some jackets. Why does the air feel so heavy? Is it always like this?" :laughing:
 
Squamch said:
Holy fuck, if you think northern manisnowba is nice you should try literally anywhere else.
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I was >||< THIS close to moving to Gillam for a job.
 
Yota, Jefferson state will be here before you know it.

Also another positive aspect of some states north of us is more personal freedoms than the shithole we currently live in / on.


Or there is always this, unsure how the wheeling is though.
https://youtu.be/PxikoeUFqPY
 
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45acp said:
In the south, the humidity works both ways

Wifes friend/boss and her family flew in for a visit last February. They're from Colorado Springs area, never been east of the rockies. It was 40's when they stepped off the plane and they were freezing.

"We checked the temps for the week and thought 40 degrees meant sun and 9% humidity. We've got to go buy some jackets. Why does the air feel so heavy? Is it always like this?" :laughing:
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Yes in the winter the humid cold is much worse than in low humidity. Here 32 and sun is tee shirt weather. Back home 32 came with wind and mostly cloudy conditions. Coat and long underwear. I have never even put on a real winter coat since I moved to Reno in 2013 and I live at 6000' We rarely use the AC either. Only good thing about that humidity is the lack of wild fires back home. I do get tired of getting all the smoke from Cali coming thru here every summer.
 
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